We don't eat nearly enough pie - and considering my oldest and bestest friend in the world, Jane, is a pie addict (those geordies sure know how to eat a pie), I feel we need to explore the pie world a little more...
So, just to kick start my pie week (don't worry I won't post all of them)... I made the kids their favourite one, as Mike and I sadly had to be elsewhere. Well, I say kids, but Hugo seems to be in Poland with 10 friends on the first of a 4 month holiday, and Holly is leaving us for A MONTH tomorrow on a european adventure.. what did I do wrong? Poor Max has no escape from my watchful eye... so no doubt, the first chance he gets to do a runner, he shall.
Back to the pie...
INGREDIENTS (FOR 4)
Puff or shortcrust pastry (whatevever your choice) Handmade is obviously better, but no one will know!
A whole cooked chicken - or 5 cooked chicken breasts (This is great after a roast, as I generally roast a few chicks at the same time, then you've got the cold one to do as you wish)
Unsalted butter
Lemon juice
Single cream
Vegetable stock
Plain flour
Fresh tarragon
Break up the chicken in an ovenware pie dish... sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
To make the sauce, melt half a pack of butter in a saucepan, over medium heat. When it's melted add a few big spoons of flour, and use a whisk to mix it in. You want to add enough flour to make a fairly thick paste. Keep it on the heat, and once you have the right consistency, add some vegetable stock till it is a slightly thick soup consistency. Keep whisking until the flour has stopped thickening it. Add a bit more veg stock to taste, salt and pepper. Then add a pot of single cream and lots of lemon juice, and keep tasting until it tastes lemony enough for you... Finally stir in the chopped tarragon (take it off the stalks before you chop it up). When it tastes delicious (you could add a bit of chicken stock and a splash of white wine if you fancy), then pour it over the chicken in the dish.
Roll out your pastry, and cover the dish, making sure it goes over the sides by at least a centremetre (get it to stick to the side of the dish with a little bit of beaten egg or milk.
Then, use the rest of the beaten egg/milk (I use them together) to brush over the top to make that golden pie look...
Put a whole in the middle of pastry to let the steam out, and cook in oven until the pastry looks cooked - generally about 40 minutes in a pre heated 180 deg oven.
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